The Williams Record

Men’s squash tests fitness in 5-game week

Nick Greaves-Tunnell ’15 dropped only 14 points total on Sunday, as he won both his matches 3-0 and helped the men secure wins over Stanford and Tufts.

Men’s squash (3-2) played five grueling matches over the course of the weekend, testing the team’s physical and mental fitness. The men closed the weekend with two resounding 9-0 wins over Stanford and Tufts on Sunday. On Saturday, the men dropped a tough match to Rochester 8-1 after going 1-1 on the opening Friday of the season. The men lost to Western Ontario in their season opener on Friday but stormed back to defeat Hamilton 9-0 later that day.

Last Sunday, the men played their final tri-match of the weekend against Stanford and Tufts. Both matches saw incredible performances from a young Williams line-up, as a few injured and fatigued Ephs took Sunday off. Nonetheless, Williams pulled through the last day of the weekend without dropping a match. The men first handily defeated Stanford 9-0.

The win came with only one game dropped in the starting nine. The No. 1 to No. 5 positions for the Ephs all came out of the match with 3-0 wins over their opponents. Nick Greaves-Tunnell ’15 also won without dropping a game at No. 7, as did Varun Sharma ’16 and Andrew Chou ’17 at Nos. 8 and 9, respectively. Tyler Conroy ’16 dropped his first game 7-11, but stormed back to take the next three 11-4, 11-0 and 11-3.

The men built off their momentum from the Stanford win, driving in a 9-0 win over Tufts later on Sunday. The men tallied multiple impressive wins, never dropping a game in their matches.

Against Tufts, rookies John Shuck ’17 at No. 4, Chou at No. 8 and Jack McLean ’17 at No. 9 showed incredible resolve and composure by taking wins in the starting nine in their matches. Shuck won 11-7, 11-2, 11-7, while Chou came out victorious 11-1, 11-1, 11-4. McLean won his match 11-1, 11-6, 11-6. Kevin Chen ’15 held the men down with an 11-4, 11-6, 13-11 win at No. 1, while Michael Petrick ’16 was similarly impressive at No. 2, with an 11-3, 11-5, 11-7 showing. Kai Graham ’15 played at No. 3, winning 11-4, 11-5, 11-7, and Greaves-Tunnell won 11-0, 11-5, 11-1 at No. 6. At No. 7, Sharma pulled out a tight victory in the third game to take the match 11-3, 11-1, 13-11.

Saturday presented another tough battle against Rochester. A notoriously strong team with international talent, Rochester is ranked No. 5 in the nation and is currently competing for the top spot at the collegiate level. Their raw skill was enough to defeat the Ephs, who fell 8-1 in a highly contested match.

Co-captain Andy Maruca ’14 took home the lone win in incredible style at the No. 9 spot. After taking the first two games 11-7 and 11-8, Maruca dropped the third game 6-11. His resolve didn’t waver, however, as he put away his opponent 11-4 in the fourth and final game.

The first match of this season on Friday would be a replay of the ‘B’ division finals of last season. The men played a tough match against their division rival Western Ontario. Though the Ephs eventually fell 7-2, the men retained a positive outlook overall, with standout performances from Chen at the No. 1 position and Ryan Eagan ’15 at the No. 9 position, both of whom battled from behind to secure wins in five games.

Less than two hours later on Friday, the men took on Hamilton, dropping only one game overall. With wins at every position, the men took home a 9-0 win. Hamilton showed incredible effort and maintained its reputation of being one

“It was good to get a bunch of matches under our belt to start the season,” co-captain Taylor Foehl ’14 said. “Western [Ontario] and [Rochester] were talented opponents that pushed us to play good squash, and it was great that a bunch of different players could get some match experience against Stanford and Tufts.”

Sunday’s 9-0 wins gave the Ephs a bit of respite before next weekend’s trip to Philadelphia. The men will face off against their biggest rival, the University of Pennsylvania this Saturday. They follow this game up with a rematch against Stanford on Saturday. The men will also play away games against Drexel and Princeton on Sunday. After the Thanksgiving break, the men host Yale on Dec. 6 and then travel to Middlebury to face Colby and St. Lawrence.